numbering

hi
i work for company making wooden display tables.
mostly special designs for each customer.
i file my drawings in folders named after each customer.
then each drawing is given a descriptive file name.
with over 100 customer folders its now getting a bit (!!) difficult to find
things unless you remember the customer who had what your looking for.
i need help planning part number/drawing number system
i know how important it is to start right.
any suggestions very gratefully received

 

you need to keep a log. I use excel ( & started it in 1998 ) & how you
number the drawings really doesn't matter , since you will have all your
info in the log. the more information the better, sometimes years later I
have to find an old file & the only thing I know is what kind of mat'l it
was , or the month we did the work.. i can sort my spread sheet by any
column.

each draftsman uses a separate log & mine all start with an "R" (for Rob)
I am up to drawing number R2186 & can find records of everything I have
drawn.. sometimes I make a new print of an old drawing & will add an
extension like R2186-B



good luck
Rob

 

So each table is different is it?
Are you sure?
Don't you ever recycle assemblies or just components between different
designs?

If you do then you should consider an assembly/component based numbering
system.

Start with a number for each contract and use that for your overall
assembly.
Maybe then have numbers to identify assemblies.
Then have numbers to identify components.

In this way you can recycle components or even assemblies into new contracts
without redrawing the same thing 'cos you forgot you drew it once before.
Saves time and money.

I once started drawing numbers based on individual machine contracts. After
a few years in one case we found we had six drawings of basically the same
component!! Three were identical, the other three just had different bores
(3", 75mm & 60mm). Now we just have one drawing the bore being defined by a
suffix. Should we need a different bore its just another suffix.

Peter

 

Thank you all very much for your ideas
just what I was after
I was trying to avoid using the first letters of the customer in the file
number cos I could see problems, so numbers is much better, and a year
marker is nice. I can search in acad and mostly find things but the problem
is when others want something. so a log like robs with good descriptions
would be good.
so how about
numbers for customers
year marker
drawing sheet number
revision letter.
plus short description in access file for others to search
with hyphens between.
trouble is the rest of factory still thinks in terms of Woolworth
table....wyevale tree stand...etc.
its the searching part that's the real problem. so the drawing number could
be anything as long as not duplicated so robs log is the one.
so starting Monday
M54321.001A
will be the drawing number for the new metal foot
thanks again
mart

 

the type of log completely depends on the type of work you do. I am in
sheetmetal & most of my jobs are one of a kinds also. so my log works fine
for me. I work with guys at different plants & some have codes like plant
number , customer code, building number, date build, type of drawing (civil,
structural, mechanical.. ect) engineer's ininials or number... & then the
sequential numbers.

so a typical drawing would look like this :

#121564564-6351854-21648-113-15648-41548948461-45487135-00001 rev a

 

the type of log completely depends on the type of work you do. I am in

I do machine design.... in house only.

Im the only one doing it... use Mech Desktop

I just the date the drawing was started and a
sequential number.

Example .... if I start a drawing today.... its number
would be

2003102001.dwg

which is the year.... month.... day... and sequential
number 1 for first drawing of the day.

If I did another drawing today it would be

2003102002.dwg

I don't know if this is a god idea or not.... but
that's what Im using.

Ive done some study on this..... and have read that the
best numbering system is a totally "dumb" system where
the characters have no meaning at all.... and are
sequential in nature. Like this

0001.dwg

0002.dwg

0003.dwg

John

 

how do you find a drawing you made a few years back of a brake press die for
a CNC12 ton press for customer xx when they call & want another one just
like the one you made before.? you tell them " if they don't know what day
they ordered it , then you cant help them? "

 

how do you find a drawing you made a few years back of a brake press die for

Well..... Ive been using the drawing properties command
to embed all that info *IN* the drawing itself

And then I use Terry Dotson's 'Drawing Browser" to
search the drawings for any keyword I chose.

see link

http://www.dotsoft.com/dwgbrowser.htm

Again..... I was told several times that a numbering
system that is "dumb" is actually best

However..... Im still unsettled in my own mind abt
that.

I can "see" some benefit of having a numbering system
that has some "intelligence" in it.

But the reasoning AGAINST an intelligent numbering
system was that inevitably it will fail at some point.

Anyway...... Im just using the date and sequential
number so far. I chose that over just using pure
sequential numbers cause this way I wouldn't have to
"remember" the last sequential number used....and take
a chance I created another drawing using the same
number. By using the date....I was fairly assured that
I wouldn't have two drawings with exact same number.

Again.... Im open to other suggestions cause its
something Ive struggled with a LOT! But I had to
settle on something and this is what I did.

John

 

--

interesting.. never heard of it

 

And then I use Terry Dotson's 'Drawing Browser" to

Well another way to "find" drawings would be to get a
document management system. But they are often
expensive and complicated. Also I think future version
of the Widows operating systems will have document
management systems built in. Someone correct me if Im
wrong on this

Drawing Browser is cheap and does the job well....at
least for me at this point.

Believe me.... I STRUGGLED with how to number my
drawings.... and STILL struggle..... but this is what
Im doing now.

I guess another way to "find" a drawing is to keep an
Access database with info of drawing number and all its
"specs" such as customer..... machine.... material..
etc. BUT.... then you MUST make sure to manually keep
this thing up to date or it becomes useless.

I like the idea of embedding all that info IN the
drawing. And actually that is where the info is at
anyway. And then use some kind of "tool" to "mine"
that info as needed and pull up the drawings in
question.

If anyone else have advice.... or critique of what Im
doing.... PLEASE feel free to jump in. Im still open
to better methods of drawing number management!!

John

 

http://www.dotsoft.com/dwgbrowser.htm

I can HIGHLY recommend Drawing Browser!!

And Terry is VERY customer responsive!

John